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What Are Your Thoughts On Anchors Used To Hold WW2 'Barrage Balloons' In Place

The following Facebook post was shared with me (screenshot of the post), of a friend of a friend who likes history. It may not look like much, however these are apparently of monumental historical importance. I've been informed there are a few of these around the village, mostly along public footpaths. Article about the Barrage Balloon Squadrons:



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  • flatmatt-PGOflatmatt-PGO Posts: 2,137 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Personally, it seems like a fairly interesting bit of history and possibly eligible. It would somewhat depend on how common they are in the area. That said, convincing enough reviewers might be tough. Visually, there isn't a whole lot there. I think you'd have an uphill battle getting these through.

  • AScarletSabre-PGOAScarletSabre-PGO Posts: 754 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was more concerned with people lazily describing them as "mass produced objects". What you say is true, especially because often don't bother to read the supplemental information. I could provide all of the supporting information in the word, but if people refuse to read it because they want to move on to the next nomination then it's all for nothing.

  • TheFarix-PGOTheFarix-PGO Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Not eligible unless they are accompanied by an educational signboard.

  • SPD85-PGOSPD85-PGO Posts: 170 ✭✭✭✭

    I think they are objects of historical importance and would lean towards accepting them. The description and supporting information would need to be clear what the object is and function. In addition, I'm concerned about distinguishing between the anchors and random concrete block, the submitter would need to provide proof that a barrage balloon actually existed at that site.

  • AScarletSabre-PGOAScarletSabre-PGO Posts: 754 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Things without 'educational signboards' get accepted all of the time. What is making you treat this nomination differently from others that do not have an 'educational signboards'? Much of our WW2 infrastructure lacks 'educational signboards'.

  • TheFarix-PGOTheFarix-PGO Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Just because something is old or during a war period doesn't mean it is historically significant. But it seems that many UK Wayfinders treat anything that is more than a few decades old as "historical" or "iconic".

  • AScarletSabre-PGOAScarletSabre-PGO Posts: 754 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am saddened to hear you don't have the same appreciation of history as many others on the forum. I believe that such infrastructure as these barrage balloons that helped to keep my country safe is of historical significance. Each to their own I guess. 😕

  • TheFarix-PGOTheFarix-PGO Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Using your logic, I can nominate ruins of old machine shops and abandoned mines in southern West Virginia that were vital to maintaining the coal supply during both WWI and WW2. Nope, never going to pass. Nor any of the chemical plants and infrastructure all along the Kanawha River Valley that were vital in supplying munitions during both wars as well.

  • 0X00FF00-ING0X00FF00-ING Posts: 769 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Locally there were a series of canals, maybe not very interesting to unfamiliar strangers, but their history is VERY important to the locals. What remains of their infrastructure has been (mostly) successfully turned into ingame POIs. (That I’m having a devil of a time getting that one last POI*, in a park, into a wayspot? Another conversation altogether lol)

    One of these canals had been dug directly through the city, because it was a shorter pathway from the port. It was since decommissioned and replaced, and has been buried. Much of that land has been turned into parks and trails, and you can still see remnants of the canal’s infrastructure.

    I was not the one to submit this, but it is in a city park next to a pathway. It’s “just” a cement mooring, ships would have been tied to it as they waited their turn to pass through that section of the canal.

    Boring, ugly, and uninteresting — and no sign. But it’s still historically relevant, IF you know the historical context.

    *my troublesome POI is the still-remaining remnants of a large mechanical structure, a “lock”. Despite being in a park, I could walk up to its walk unimpeded by fencing and **** it if I were so inclined, it has been repeatedly been rejected as either “natural feature” or “no pedestrian access”. Gah. More deets by PM if you’re truly interested.

  • AScarletSabre-PGOAScarletSabre-PGO Posts: 754 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    Using my logic abandoned mines and machines shops may still be ineligible and now let's take a moment to discover why. I don't believe it's difficult to understand.


    Do you think Niantic wants playing going into these potentially unsafe places which may not even be on public land anyway? I certainly wouldn't want to hear a news story about a player venturing into an abandoned mine and getting hurt or potentially breathing in noxious chemicals from either of these places. Unless, of course, you mean to suggest that abandoned mines have safe pedestrian access.


    These anchors are along a public footpath. Unlike a mine or a machine shop, they are located in a safe place to be. Maybe if there machine shop was fenced off it would be eligible but my inclination is to call out your argument as a 'strawman'.

  • Elijustrying-INGElijustrying-ING Posts: 5,482 Ambassador

    this is why it is important to have a good description, that clearly explains its historic significance.

    For example in this case “thought to be” is not strong and raises doubts in the reviewers mind as to its veracity.

    So be clear and unequivocal as to what this is and it’s local and if relevant National importance. Presumably most were removed so be clear about rarity. And in supplemental info if at all possible direct to a website.

  • Gazzas89-PGOGazzas89-PGO Posts: 2,619 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I would definitely accept them so long as the description and supporting info provided the same info here, they sound extremely interesting and since they are still around rather than removed they are clearly of historical importance.


    And to answer what farix said, its bot that te uk consider old as historical, its thr info along with it that makes them historical and important, everything you listed as not passable I would say is extremely passable with information provided.

  • WheelTrekker-INGWheelTrekker-ING Posts: 3,388 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I would definitely accept them so long as the description and supporting info provided the same info here, they sound extremely interesting and since they are still around rather than removed they are clearly of historical importance.

    Or on the other side it might be due that the effort to remove them is not worth it. Huge stone blocks placed in locations where they don't disturb the people,

    Why waste money removing them? Where to place them?

    People in charge might think "this is not my problem" and leave them as is.

    If they thought that they have historical importance they could add a little sign or plaque explaining what are them and that would be great so everybody learns about them.

  • Gazzas89-PGOGazzas89-PGO Posts: 2,619 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It costs nothing to remove blocks, or the cost would be minimal, if they weren't being kept there on purpose then most likely someone would have removed them. And if you were ti have thay argument, that they are just blocks so why remove them, then why are trig stones allowed?they dont have any signage for them

  • grsmhiker-INGgrsmhiker-ING Posts: 176 ✭✭✭✭

    Obviously the safe access of each nomination would be judged on its own merit. The ruins I got approved last week are at a park with a popular swimming area.

    There are three abandoned mines near me with no signs - all along hiking trails. One is an open pit gold mine (just an unimpressive dug out area, but perfectly safe to explore) and two are copper mine shafts closed off with metal grates. There's also an abandoned marble quarry in a city park, that someone else got approved, and is a well known bouldering spot. I've not submitted any of the mines because they are deep in no signal areas, and also because I have too many "slam dunk" type nominations in my to do list to use up submissions on something that would have less chance of approval.

  • AScarletSabre-PGOAScarletSabre-PGO Posts: 754 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Will see if I can find more information on them. If anybody can help that will be great. Some people may think it's a random piece of concrete and there are those who are not knee deep in Wayfarer that would be inclined to accept anything and everything. It's the people on the fence I need to convince. There is history here however no sure way of demonstrating that to the reviewer.

  • Perringaiden-INGPerringaiden-ING Posts: 124 ✭✭✭

    To be honest, I'd only accept these if they were specifically called out as historic, by the council.

    i.e. A plaque saying "This is an example of the anchors used to hold balloons that protected London" vs a random concrete block with a metal bar in it. Because there are a lot of concrete blocks with metal bars used for other things that aren't significant either.

    Unless there's only like 10 of them left in the city (which there isn't, they're scattered all over the place).

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